MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 65 



pear and resume their former relations ? This question can- 

 not be fully answered here; they may do so farther down 

 the valley, but in the bounds assigned to this report, they 

 appear no more. 



The iron limestone was seen below Village Creek, though it 

 was inferred, from its thickness above the Creek, and its 

 gradual taper, that it probably extends about a mile 

 farther. Below the Creek the rocks are but little 

 exposed, and the geological structure cannot be seen. This 

 is to be regretted, for the manner in which the upper and 

 lower iron ore beds come together, if indeed .they do so, would 

 be of very gre'at interest to a geologist. From their relative 

 position where last seen, they must either come together at 

 the end oj the iron limestone, or other strata must occupy its 

 place. 



COMPTON MINES. 



Since these pages were written extensive mining has 

 been, and is still done, at this place, by J. W. Worthington 

 <fc Co. ; both of iron ore in Red Mountain and of Lime Rock 

 quarried from the. foot of Sand Mountain on the opposite side 

 of Sand Valley. These extensive works are known by the 

 name of COMPTON MINES. They are connected with the 

 Mineral R. R. at the Village Springs by a branch road three 

 miles long, crossing Village Creek, and passing through the 

 gap it cuts in Red Mountain, into Sand Valley- Thence one 

 branch of it runs up the foot of Red Mountain to the iron ore 

 mines ; the other crosses Sand Valley to the Lime Rock 

 quarries. 



As was foreseen the mode of mining iron ore here was by 

 stripping from the top of the mountain donwards, as the 

 most economical and expeditious. This mode was first adopted 

 and the ore bed was laid bare along the top of the mountain 

 for nearly half a mile. Ore was thus very rapidly and cheaply 

 raised, and run down the mountain to the raiload by cable 

 cars. It was soon found however that many faults and 

 flexures from N. W. to S. E. crossed this mountain and 

 very seriously interrupted the regularity of the ore bed. 

 Also that the dip increased to the N. W. on the face of the 

 mountain, and soon made stripping two deep to be done 

 advantageously. Farther stripping was therefore abandoned, 



